Many of our inn's guests are surprised at the number of quality restaurants here in Vermont. It's all tourism-driven; we wouldn't have nearly as many if they had to rely only on local residents.

Collectively, all the restaurants I am aware of in north central Vermont would amount to the selection in any major city.

It's great to live in a place where we have so many restaurant choices. We have been here more than seven years and we are still working our way through the list. We will probably never get to them all.

A couple of weeks ago, USA Today newspaper had an interesting article on some of the best in the area. It is a small sampling of what is available here locally.

From the article: "Ben & Jerry's socially aware ice cream factory near Waterbury put northern Vermont and its back-to-the-land vibe on the foodie map in the late '70s. Now the area boasts talented cheese-makers, chocolatiers, bakers, maple-sugar craftsmen, vintners and microbrewers — and the prestigious New England Culinary Institute."

The article credits Laura and Michael Kloeti at Michael's on the Hill restaurant with being among the first to partner with and promote locally produced ingredients, but the author did not review the facility presumably because he did not eat there I guess. However, the author, Jerry Shriver, has short reviews of some others.

The reviewed restaurants are Hen of the Wood ("The lasting impression is that you have stumbled on a New England outpost of the Garden of Eden."); Taste of Burlington; The Kitchen Table Bistro("Chef/owners Steve and Lara Atkins take the local/seasonal/sustainable approach so seriously, they credit the local composting company on their menu, along with about 30 farmers, cheesemakers, bakers and brewers."); Butler's at the Inn at Essex.